Threads (A Five Part Series)
by azami-x
Summary: Natsu returns from a solo mission to find Lucy holed up and hiding in her apartment. Someone hurt her in one of the worst ways possible. How can he help her get through this horrible ordeal? Will he seek revenge on the man who did this to his beloved? [Rated M for Adult Themes and Language. Trigger warning: sexual assault, self loathing, self harm, depression. Read with care.]
1. Part One: Coming Home

**Threads**

 **(A Five Part Series)**

 _ **A/N: This is the first installment of a five part series. The following deals with negative situations that some people may find triggering and upsetting. I want to take the time to warn you of this now. I wrote this piece as a commentary on a social issue that is often in the media and that far too many of us have experienced first hand. Sexual assault is not something to be taken lightly and is most certainly not a joke. Please read with care, and leave a review if you wish to comment. Thank you for reading. :heart: ~ Azami**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

 **Part One: Coming Home**

"Just a few more miles until we're home, Happy!" Natsu said cheerfully, pointing to the road sign that was posted on the junction in the road. The aged sign read "MAGNOLIA 3 miles" in faded white script painted on the weather-worn wood.

"Aye Sir!" the blue exceed chimed happily. "I can't wait to get some yummy fish!"

"Yeah, I can't wait to get something to eat, too. I'm starving!" the dragonslayer said in agreement. "And we'll get to see Lucy!"

"Yeah, I miss Lucy! It's kinda weird going on jobs without her," Happy said, flying next to Natsu and keeping pace with him.

Natsu frowned a little and nodded solemnly. "Me too, buddy. It'll only be like this for a little while longer. Then we'll go back to normal."

They walked along in a comfortable silence, making their way toward Magnolia. They'd been walking for a long while now, Natsu not wanting to take the train for such a short distance. He avoided transportation whenever he could get away with it. Walking was definitely a preferred method of travel. And most of the time they used transportation because Lucy was with them. When they were on the their own, Happy could carry Natsu for fairly long distances, and then he'd spell the exceed by carrying him as they walked. But to tell the truth, having to ride the train was well worth it if it meant Lucy was with them.

Lucy. He had really missed her the last few days. Right now was solo mission season working up to the upcoming S-Class trials, so they were working on their own for the time being. Natsu wanted a real shot at S-Class this year, and he really felt like he was ready for it now. After everything they had been through in the last couple of years, he was more than prepared for what was to come during the trials. He wanted to do it for himself, but he also wanted to do it for Lucy. If he was raised to S-Class, they could go on better jobs and she would have all the money she needed. And then he could help her train so that she could make S-Class, too. Most importantly, it would ensure a more stable future with larger job payouts, and it would allow him to save. He wanted to be able to provide Lucy with the life she deserved.

Their relationship had started to change after the Alvarez War. They had come really close to losing one another, and both admitted that it had changed their perspectives. He never wanted to be in that position again. When he thought Lucy was dead, it killed all the light inside of him. All he wanted was revenge. And it had been her alone that saved him from the same fate as Zeref's other demons. After everything that had happened, he knew how he felt about her. They started out slow, but over time their close friendship progressed into something more. Sure they were a couple in the traditional sense now… but it meant so much more than just that to him. He knew she was the One.

Ever since they had started making that transition, he found it hard to be away from her. The only reason he was doing it now was because he had to. He had tried to mostly stick to one day jobs that would allow him to be at home by nightfall so he could see her again. She had been taking some solo jobs, too. And she had been training extra hard. He was really proud of how far she had come. She had turned into a phenomenal wizard, and was one of the strongest people he had ever known. He really respected her on a professional level and admired her character. She was loving, kind, brave, determined. And she exuded this awesome confidence when she smiled. Plus, she was fun and full of life. There was a light about her that burned brighter than any flame he had ever seen. In short, she was amazing and he wanted to do everything he could to make her happy.

After awhile they approached the outskirts of Magnolia, the town now in view. They both quickened their pace, now running (and flying) toward town. Their first stop would be the guildhall. It was early afternoon and it was likely that Lucy was there. Lucy and food, their two main objectives. The guildhall would be the best place to be. And of course there was the rest of the guild. It was always good to see his nakama. But he couldn't deny that she was the foremost thing on his mind at this point. They reached the guildhall in record time, Natsu stopping for a moment to catch his breath.

"Good race buddy," he said, his chest heaving and his signature grin plastered across his face.

"Aye sir!" Happy chimed cheerfully as Natsu opened the guild doors and they entered.

As per usual they were met with a sea of familiar faces, drinking, talking, and hanging out. It was the usual crowd alright. Natsu greeted others as they saw him come in, working his way through the crowded guildhall. He smiled through the high fives and cheers of greeting, all the while, his eyes scanning the guildhall for a familiar bouncy blonde, but he didn't see her anywhere. He wasn't picking up her scent either. Slightly confused and thoroughly disappointed, he scanned the bar area again, and still saw nothing. He made his way up to the bar and slid into a seat, glancing up and down the bar again. Mirajane noticed him and waved as she approached.

"Hey Natsu! Welcome back! Can I get you anything?" she asked with her usual cheerful tones, smiling brightly at him, her head cocked to one side.

The dragonslayer scowled a little and shook his head. "Not yet Mira.. Have you seen Lucy?" He looked at her hopefully, eyes wide, but she shook her head.

"She hasn't been in for a few days. I guess she got sick on her last solo job and has been holed up at home," Mira said, frowning a little and looking concerned. "I know Levy and Wendy have gone to check on her. Maybe ask them."

Natsu furrowed his brow and frowned. She was sick? Poor Luce. Whenever she was sick she did hole up in bed for days on end. It always seemed to hit her a little harder than it did other people. He turned and saw Levy McGarden a short distance away.

"Thanks Mira," he said, turning away from her and making his way over to Levy.

The solid script mage looked up from her book when he approached, greeting him with a genial smile. The two weren't especially close, but they had grown up together, regarding one another as family. And she was Lucy's closest friend aside from him and Happy. They shared an intense love for books and writing.

"Hey Natsu! Back from your job?" she said in greeting, smiling at him. He slid into the seat across from her, looking around again and then back to her.

"Hey.. yeah. Listen, have you seen Lucy? Mira said she's been sick and hasn't been in," he asked, the concern in his eyes growing.

Levy frowned a little. "Yeah...she has been, but she won't let anyone in the door. Honestly it's a little worrisome. She says she's fine but she refused to open the door."

Natsu felt his stomach twist. He had a bad feeling.. That wasn't like Lucy. She would usually at least open the door to talk to them. It was weird that she would just totally shut everyone out like that.

"Yeah, I'm a little worried, Natsu," came a small voice from behind him. He turned and saw Wendy Marvel standing a short distance away, her eyes filled concern. "She wouldn't even let me in to heal her at all. Usually if she's sick, she'll at least let me in to check up on her."

Now he was really worried. Something was wrong. He could feel it.. Getting up from his seat, he made the decision to go check it out for himself. He saw Happy was by the bar, eating fish from a plated pile that sat next to him.

"Hey Happy," he called, "I'm gonna go check on Luce! I'll catch you a little later, buddy."

The cat waved, giving a muffled response as his face was stuffed with fish. Natsu turned sharply and headed toward the door. He ignored any calls from the others as he left, the only thing on his mind was getting to Lucy. He headed toward her apartment, breaking into a run. As he got closer, his worried mounted further. He reached her apartment and glanced up at the window and then the front door. He decided to enter through the window, ensuring that he would get into her apartment. He quickly hoisted himself up and found her window was cracked open, allowing him to slide open and slip inside. He looked around and didn't see her anywhere. He could smell her though, so he knew that she was somewhere in the apartment.

"Lucy? Where are you?" he called out, and then waited. No answer. He could hear the faint sound of water running. The shower. She must be taking a shower. Concerned, he went closer to the bathroom door and listened. He could hear her sniffling and making soft moaning noises through shuddered breaths. She was crying.. He rapped on the door, calling out to her.

"Luce? Are you okay?" He waited for a minute and her cries increased. Natsu stood at the door, fear overtaking him. Anxious and on the border of freaking out, he gripped the handle of the door and called to her again.

"Lucy, I'm coming in, okay?" he said tentatively, turning the handle on the door, her cries growing louder as he cracked open the door. He squinted to peek into the room, and saw her, sitting in the bathtub, still fully clothed, but the shower running onto her body below. She was sobbing, her skin turning pink from the scalding hot water pelting her from above.

"Jesus, Luce.. what's going on?" he cried out, rushing to turn off the hot water supply. She shuddered, over and over again as the sobs wracked her body. She could only cry louder in response.

He rushed to pull her out of the tub and eased her to the floor with him, pulling her into his lap. She turned her body and clung to him, wailing and moaning as she cried. Panicked, he pulled her tight to him, holding her as close as he could. He had no idea what was going on, but he was desperate to find out.

"Lucy.. what's wrong?! Did someone hurt you? What's going on?" he asked, his voice wrought with emotion, pleading with her.

She just cried, unable to speak through her sobs.

"Please Luce… talk to me.."

They just sat there for awhile, her clinging to him as she cried. He just held her, whispering soothingly, petting her hair. Eventually the cries slowed to sniffles and the occasional shudder, but she remained clinging to him. He reached up onto the counter and manage to reach a towel. He wrapped it around her, gently caressing her cheek with his calloused fingertips. She managed to look up at him, her eyes puffy and still glassy with waiting tears.

"Luce…" he murmured, still holding her gaze. She looked back him in a desperate silence, her expression deeply pained. She looked so sad...so hurt. It killed him to see her this way. It ripped him apart on the inside to see her cry like this.

"Natsu…" she let out in a hoarse whisper. "He...he...grabbed me...t-touched me… I.. I'm sorry.. I didn't mean…" and then she started to cry again, her cries louder this time. He held her tight, stroking her hair and whispering to her as she cried. Inside, his heart was pounding like a thundering drum. Someone had hurt her… they had violated her. Anger pulsed through his veins as his body went rigid. Someone hurt Lucy….his Lucy.

He wanted to know who did it to her, but he was careful not to needle her for information right away. Instead, he helped her change, and get dried off. As he helped her put on her pajamas, he noticed bruises upon her body, the anger swelling in his gut, feeding his inner fire. He insisted on carrying her to her bed, and she didn't protest, cradling close against him. Once he had her on the bed, he wrapped the comforter around her, stroking her cheek. He turned toward the small kitchenette and moved in that direction when he felt himself jerked back a little. Confused, he turned back around and saw that Lucy was gripping the back of his vest, looking up at him questioningly. He reached to caress her cheek again.

"I'm just gonna get you some tea, Luce. I'll be right back, I promise," he said reassuringly, leaning in and pressing his forehead to hers, stroking her hair affectionately. He gently nuzzled his nose against hers and smiled. She nodded a little and release her grasp on him, her hands shaking a little.

Natsu made quick work of preparing her some tea, using his own fire to boil the water. Though it didn't really take all that long, it felt like an eternity. He didn't want to leave her alone for longer than absolutely necessary. It was clear that she was feeling especially vulnerable. He was also anxious to find out exactly what happened and who had done this to her. Finally, he put a bag into the cup and poured the boiling contents of the kettle into it. Remembering a saucer to set the bag on afterward and a spoon, he hurried back to the bedroom, careful not to spill the hot water on himself or the floor.

When he returned, he found her huddled under the blankets, her eyes barely peeking out from a small hole. His heart cringed seeing her hide like that. It wasn't like Lucy to hide and shrink up in fear. That's what he could feel from her… fear and anxiety. He slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and reached out to touch her and she flinched a little. He withdrew his hand, unable to hide the sadness in his eyes She gasped and threw the blankets off and lunged for him, wrapping her arms about his shoulders, crying again.

"Oh Natsu.. I'm so sorry.. I didn't mean to scare like that.. I trust you.. I really do," she said through her tears, her voice cracking. "I'm just...so…." Her voice dropped off and tears started falling again in streams.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him, gently soothing her as she wept. She calmed again, eventually and pulled away a little, wiping her face. He reached over to the bedside table and grabbed a couple of tissues out of the box and handed them to her. She murmured a "thank you" and took them, wiping her eyes and then blowing her nose. He noticed how puffy her face was from crying, how her nose was all red and shiny… but she was still so beautiful to him. He just hated to see her in so much pain. The dragonslayer smiled a little and reached to stroke her cheek.

"How about some tea?" he asked gently and she nodded. He pulled the teabag from the cup, and set it on the saucer, using the spoon to mix it a bit before handing it over to Lucy. She took a long sip, closing her eyes as she swallowed. He waited while she was quiet for a moment, watching her every move. Eventually she opened her eyes and took another sip before handing the cup back to him. He returned the cup to the saucer and looked back to her again.

"Lucy...Can...can you tell me what happened?" he asked tentatively, worried about upsetting her further. She stared at him, her eyes glassed over again, her mouth opening and then closing again. It was like she wanted to speak, but she couldn't. He just pulled her close again, stroking her hair. "Don't worry about it, okay? You can tell me when you're ready."

Then they laid there together, wrapped up in the blankets, her head on his chest, tracing small circles on his peck. He had his arm pulled securely around her, holding her too him. Occasionally he would move to nuzzle her hair or kiss the top of her head. She'd nestle closer to him, making small whimpering noises, and his heart would cringe a little. Whatever had happened had shaken her to her core, and she wasn't going to be getting over it any time soon. It was completely silent except for the sound of their breathing and Lucy's occasional sounds. But then her voice suddenly broke the silence.

"Natsu.. Do you think I'm a whore?" she asked, her voice sounding desperate and pained. He froze, his eyes widening and his body stiffening. Had he just heard her right?! What the hell would possess her to ask something like that? He shifted and looked down at her, his eyes meeting with hers. Her eyes looked so sad, so defeated, brimming with tears again. His heart broke.

"Lucy… no! What the hell.. WHY would you even think that?" he cried in shock, scrambling to pull her closer, cupping her face and searching her eyes. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at him, her body shuddering a little.

"I-I… I just...he said I was a whore...because of how I d-d-dress… and that I was ask...asking..for..it…" she stammered, barely able to get the words out, tears still running down her face as she tried to speak. "I..I-I can't… stop seeing him… f-feeling his hands on me… I'm so sorry.. I swear I didn't… I..wouldn't.."

His heart broke into a million pieces as he watched her break down. At the very same time, he was raging with anger and contempt. Someone dared to violate the most precious person in his life. He wanted to kill whoever did this to her. They sure as hell were in for a beating of a lifetime. There was no way they would get away with this. He wouldn't let them get away with hurting Lucy like this. He held her gently by her shoulders, looking at her dead on.

"Luce… could you look at me? Please…" he said softly. She slowly lifted her head and met his gaze, tears still falling. He gently held her chin and looked deep into her eyes, trying to convey the multitude of things he was feeling at this very moment. She gazed back at him, looking at him hopefully, urgently.

"The way you dress **does not** make you a..whore.. And you're **not** " _ **asking for it**_ " by the way you dress. That's **BULLSHIT**! Whoever the fuck said that to you had no right to say it, and he sure as fuck didn't have the right to put his hands on you! This _**is not your fault**_ in any way, shape or form. Please Lucy, believe me when I said that **you did** **NOTHING wrong.** Please stop apologizing," he said firmly but gently, urging her to listen to his words.

It killed him that she thought this could in any way be her fault. Someone had victimized her and taken advantage of her. He could see from the scrapes and bruises that she had fought her way out of it. He noticed the fingerprint bruises on her arms, the scrapes on her knees. It was taking every ounce of self controlled that he possessed to not explode with anger. The fire in his belly burned hotter than ever, seething and pulsating as he attempted to keep himself in check. He had to keep his cool for now, for her sake. He didn't want to go freaking her out and upsetting her even more. The plan now was to slowly coax it out of her, and meanwhile, comfort and support her as much as he could.

Natsu held her until her cries slowed and she was sniffling against his chest. He knew that there would be many more tears to follow, and that things might be rather tense for awhile. But it didn't matter how long it took her to feel better, he was going to be there. If she needed to scream, cry, be angry, be sad, whatever she was feeling… he was going to be there for every second of it, even if it meant giving up on the S-Class trials. There was no way he was leaving her alone again. Eventually she lifted her head to look at him and he stared back at her.

"It happened….it happened on the solo job I went on.. I had to deliver a letter to a woman in Hargeon from her daughter. The daughter didn't trust the postal service, so she wanted to contract a wizard from the guild to deliver it because of the contents. There were some important documents along with the letter. It sounded like a pretty easy job that I could definitely handle on my own, and because it was in Hargeon, I would be back well before the end of the day to see you guys when you got home. It..it seemed so simple.." she said, the words pouring out of her. He listened attentively, only pulling her closer to reassure her, but he did not interrupt. Lucy took a deep breath before she continued.

"Anyway, I stopped at 8Island to get something to eat and there were these guys that kept talking to me. I mostly just ignored them and went about my business. One guy in particular was really persistent. He even came over to my table and sat across from me.. He.. he kept calling me things like 'sweetie' and 'honey'. I told him to stop, that I wasn't interested and to please go away. Yajima's staff noticed him bothering me and the guys were kicked out of the restaurant. I was totally thankful to them and I enjoyed the rest of my dinner in peace," she continued on, her breath hitching a little.

"And… and then.. I was walking back to the train station and it was getting dark. I was trying to hurry so I could catch the evening express home. I took that shortcut we take sometimes, you know, through the back alleyways? I should...I should have thought to conjure one of my spirits to go with me… I was so stupid…" she said, her voice cracking. He squeezed her gently and kissed the top of her head.

"Lucy, you're not stupid. This wasn't your fault, okay?" he said firmly but affectionately, nuzzling her hair gently. She hiccuped through her tears and nodded, trying to gain control of herself in order to continue. He looked down at her. "What...what happened next?" She took another deep breath and continued on.

"So I was about halfway there when all the sudden the lights in the alley went out and it was pitch black. I stopped to try and figure out which way I was going and suddenly someone grabbed me and threw me up again the wall. He.. he started… grabbing me in places.. Touching me everywhere… I-I...I couldn't push him off.. I tried so hard… he kept whispering things to me… telling me I dressed like a slut, so I must be trying to get attention.. He..he said that I looked like a whore...that ...that I deserved it.." she choked out, tears flowing heavily again.

"I recognized his voice as the creepy guy who kept bothering me in the restaurant… He...he eventually flipped me around and had me facing him… he tried...he tried kissing me and fondling me again and I tried to scream… I kicked at him, I bit him, I struggled as hard as he could… he was so strong and kept pulling at my clothes… he ripped my shirt…" she sobbed, the words just flowing from her now, relieving the weight they had been bearing down upon her.

"Finally I got my fingers on a key and called out Loke.. he ...he stopped the creep from doing anything worse.. And stayed with me until I got home. He wanted to tell someone at the guild, but I didn't want anyone to know… I'm...I'm….. Oh Natsu, I'm so ashamed!"

She fell into his arms again, sobbing relentlessly. He held her tight to him, letting her cry it out for as long as she needed to. He didn't want to see her cry, but if she needed it, he was going to be there to hold her. She was in pain and he wanted to make it better, no matter how long it took. He felt like he should have been there to protect her, as though he had failed her completely. If he wasn't so wrapped up in his own pursuits, maybe this would have never happened… She didn't deserve it and yet she was blaming herself.

They stayed like that for a long time, the sky growing darker outside as the stars started to emerge against the twilight sky. Eventually she did stop crying, and they laid there still. He wouldn't move from that spot until she was ready. When she finally did move, he moved with her. She looked at him again, as if searching for some answer. He wished he could give it to her.

"Luce… whoever did this… whoever hurt you… I won't let them get away with it, I promise. I'm going to track them down and make them regret ever laying a hand on you," he growled, stroking her cheek at the same time. He didn't want her to think his anger was directed at her in any way.

She sniffled and nuzzled his hand, still looking so sad and distraught. "I just...I feel like I did something wrong… like...like I advertised to them...or did something that made them think it was okay to do that to me…"

He shook his head, holding her tight. "No Luce…you didn't do a goddamn thing to deserve this! So what if you wear short skirts and tank tops. That doesn't give anyone the right to put their hands on you! Fuck what that asshole said!" he growled again, clinging to her now. She raised her head and looked up at him again.

"You...y-you don't think that I dress like a slut?" she sincerely asked him, her eyes filled with pain, waiting for his answer. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.. The usually confident, smiling Lucy was doubting herself at every turn. That monster had made her feel as though she asked for the abuse she had received. The trauma of the occurrence had altered her perspective completely, leaving her a whimpering scared little rabbit that jumped at every sound. This wasn't his Lucy… This wasn't Lucy at all. Rage boiled in his gut, his chest heaving as his breathing grew more ragged. He took a deep breath and calmed himself again.

"No way, Luce," he pulled away a little and looked into her eyes again, and she stared back. "You are beautiful and you have an amazing body. It doesn't matter what you wear whether it's short skirts or sweatpants. And any way you want to dress is okay, you hear me? **No matter what you wear, you are never asking to be abused and attacked**. I don't care if you wear a bikini in December or a plastic bag for a fancy night on the town… **NO ONE has the right to put their hands on you when you tell them no** ," he said with determination, trying to make her understand. He hated that someone made her feel this way about herself. It was so unfair...she was such an amazing, loving, caring person that put her life on the line over and over again just to help others. Why had this happened to her? Why? And then, as if reading his mind, she spoke again.

"Then why…. Why did he do this to me? Why was he going to...going to…" she choked out, trying to stifle the tears that threatened to fall.

He shook his head, hugging her again. "I don't know Lucy… Some people are just selfish bastards who don't know the meaning of the word No, and think they can have whatever they want in life by just taking it… It's fucked up and wrong… and you didn't deserve it, dammit.."

She said nothing in response, only pressing closer to him, sniffling. He storked her back gently, holding her tight. He felt so helpless… there was nothing he could immediately do to make it all better. He couldn't just make it go away. Sadly, it had happened and now was turning her world upside down. Natsu wanted to find this guy and show him what happens when you mess with a member of Fairy Tail… especially when it was the person he loved more than anything.

Whoever they were...they were going to _**pay**_.

.xxx.

 _ **This concludes part one of Threads (A Five Part Series). Thank you for taking the time to read. If you have anything you would like to say, please feel free to leave your comments in a review. Conversation is welcome, as I will reply at the end of each installment. And yes, it's kind of dramatic and angsty but thus the categorization. Anyway, thank you for your time. :) ~ A.**_


	2. Part Two: Questions

_**A/N: This story contains sensitive content that deals with sexual assault, self harm, self loathing and depression. If you are sensitive to any of these, I must say proceed with caution and care. Reviews and commentary welcomed.**_

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 **Part Two: Questions**

It was the next morning before they left the bed, sleeping close together that night. Whenever they drifted too far apart, she would whimper a bit, but it was quickly quelled when he would pull her close again. It crushed him every time he would hear her cry, gently shaking her awake from her nightmares throughout the night. He found some comfort in the fact that she seemed to feel better when she was close to him, as if she felt safer with him there.

They got out of bed and Lucy stumbled off to the kitchen. Natsu followed her, curious as to what she was doing. He watched as she started to pull things like she did when she was making breakfast. She even went so far as to start cracking eggs in a bowl and whisking them after adding salt and pepper. He stopped her and looked at her.

"Luce, you don't have to make breakfast. Seriously, I mean it. Please, stop." he said softly, stroking her arm. She turned and looked back at him, her eyes red and puffy from crying so much the night before. She shook her head and drew in her breath.

"No Natsu, I do need to make breakfast. I need to do something like normal, like how we always do it.. I...I need to..forget..what happened. So please, for now, can we just pretend things are normal? For a little while, okay?" she said, her voice wrought with emotion, but at the same time so tired and worn. "It's just.. I waited and waited for you to come home, and now I just want us to be together...Please Natsu.. I need you right now!"

His eyes widened as she pleaded with him so desperately. He slowly raised a hand to her face, cupping her cheek, his thumb wiping away the tears. His poor, sweet Lucy. Natsu's brow furrowed but then eased again.

"Of course Luce.. whatever you need," he conceded, stroking her cheek. "How can I help?"

They went on making breakfast like they normally would. Natsu did his best to act as he usually would and do silly things to make her laugh. He managed to make her smile a few times, so that was already a win to him. After awhile, things almost did feel normal and Lucy like her old self. When they finished cooking, the couple sat together at the table and ate while talking and joking. They exchanged affectionate glances and played footsie under the table. Everything was going just as she wanted.. Like normal. He was glad to play along if it made her feel better. But inside he was worried about how all of this was affecting her, and what lasting effects it might have. Natsu wasn't sure what to do at this point, but he didn't want her to suffer alone.

After breakfast he offered to do the dishes while she went to shower. He told her to take her time, that he would wait. The whole point was for her to relax for a little while, maybe be able to calm down some. Of course she wasn't going to just get over this… no, he knew that it was going to take a long time for her to recover. However, he was in it for the long haul, no question. There would never be a question of whether or not he would stick by her side. The fact of the matter was, he loved her.

As he did the dishes, he thought about everything she had said. His mind was plagued with thoughts of this other man putting his hands all over Lucy. The ways he might have touched her… How dare he?! She wasn't some object, some plaything! And then Natsu thought of how much she was hurting.. How she blamed herself for it. What kind of fucked up world did they live in where someone would assume that just because a girl wears a short skirt that she's some kind of whore, asking to be raped? What kind of monster would believe that he had the right to put his hands on a woman without her permission? Natsu may have been a bit green in terms of certain aspects of adult life, but he knew enough to know that if someone said no, that was it. You didn't cross those lines. Everyone had a right to deny someone access to their body. And it was up to the other person to respect that. This was something Natsu felt strongly about. It made him so angry that smoke wafted from his nostrils, and his body temperature rose to a scalding degree.

Sure, people had commented on Lucy's attire before. Not as if he hadn't noticed himself even.. But **never**... _ **never**_ would he EVER think he had the right to touch her without her consent. Even now that they were in a relationship, he wouldn't touch her without knowing she was okay with it! So how the fuck did some guy think it was alright to just molest her like that? And what if he had done worse? His heart cringed hard at the thought of what could have happened. Natsu couldn't stand even the notion of someone hurting Lucy like that. He felt like he was dying inside. He could only imagine how she might be feeling.

After he finished the dishes he dried his hand on a towel, and left the kitchen to check on Lucy. He listened at the bathroom door and hear the shower running. He knocked on the door, and called out to her.

"Luce? How ya doin' in there?" he questioned, waiting for a response, but he heard nothing. He pressed his ear to the door and could hear the water streaming steadily. Yet there was another sound...it sounded like...scrubbing. And he could swear he heard her crying. He knocked on the door again and called to her again, a little louder this time.

"Lucy! What's going on? Are you okay?" he called, but she still didn't answer. Something was wrong. Usually she would yell at him to go away and let her enjoy her shower. She wouldn't just keep silent like this. He had to go and check on her, even if it earned his a Lucy Kick to the face.

Turning the knob slowly he cracked the door open and peer around it to see what was going on. That was when he saw her standing in the shower, scrubbing her body with a brush that she usually used to clean the tub. She was crying in heaving sobs as she tried to clean herself. He stared at her, horrified by what he was seeing. Natsu immediately rushed to the shower and attempted to wrestle the brush away from her. All over her body there were patches of skin that were scrubbed red and raw. Some areas scratched, the skin broken and bleeding.

"What the hell… Luce, stop!" he exclaimed, grabbing the brush and wrenching it out of her hands.

"No! No! I can't!" she screamed at him, trying to wrestle the brush back from him "I can't stop until I'm clean! I can still feel his hands on me!" She was screaming at the top of her lungs, crying uncontrollably.

"Lucy! No! You're hurting yourself! Please stop!" he cried, his voice filled with anguish. She was sobbing again, but stopped reaching for the brush. She collapsed into a heap, her body wracked with shuddering sobs. He hurried to pick her up, reaching for a towel and wrapping it around her, pulling her from the shower. Panicked, he tried sitting her up on the counter so he could look at her wounds. They were covering all the places where she already had bruises. It like she was trying to scrub them away with the brush.

He just held her and let her cry. This time, he couldn't help but cry with her, tears falling from his eyes as he cradled her against him. He couldn't find the words that would soothe her because he knew there were none that could make this better. Natsu just wanted to help her, but he didn't know how, so he just stayed there with her. Awhile passed before she stopped crying, pulling away from his slightly and looking at him through reddened eyes.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, her voice strained and cracking. He shook his head and stroked her cheek, pressing his forehead to hers.

"No, don't be. It's okay. Like I said Luce...whatever you need,"he said glancing down at her raw skin. "But please don't hurt yourself." She shuddered again as she took a deep breath, tears threatening to spill again.

"I just… I feel so dirty...so used. And then I feel guilty for even feeling this way.. I mean it's not like he… well, you know.. But I just feel so...gross…" she confessed, tears streaming down her face again, unable to meet his gaze. He wanted more than anything to lift her chin and make her eyes meet his, but he didn't want to force her. He just gently stroked her back and kissed the top of her head.

"You were violated Lucy. You have every right to be upset. And don't downplay what you went through.. What happened to you is horrible. I'm gonna make that bastard pay," he said, a growl escaping his lips, teeth partially bared. She only responded by drawing her arms around him, hugging him tight. They clung together for several moments.

Eventually he let her go so she could dress and then tended to her wounds, putting dabs of ointment on the raw, scraped areas of skin. It was silent between them as he worked, but she let him help her, at least. He was worried about moving to suddenly or upsetting her in any way. As he did so, he thought about how she might feel about his touch… whether or not it made her feel upset or scared.

After he had finished tending to her scrapes and scratches, they left the bathroom and settled on the couch in the living area. She was especially quiet and he was nervous about pushing too much. He knew that when he was upset, the last thing he wanted was someone needling him about it. So instead he held her hand and sat with her in the silence, waiting for her to make the next move. When he glanced at her, he saw her brow was furrowed and her eyes concentrated, mouth drawn up in a scowl. It seemed as though she was deep in thought about something.

"I'm so pathetic," she said all of a sudden quite loudly, causing him to jump a little. Natsu looked at her confused and upset by her words. "I'm always so weak. I let myself become a victim, and now look at me!"

The dragonslayer shook his head vigorously and grasped her hand. "No way, Luce! You're awesome. And it's not your fault that someone else was an asshole!"

She didn't look convinced. She stared down at the floor, brow furrowed and her mouth in a deep frown. Lucy's face held so many emotions at once, it was difficult for him to tell where her head was at. Natsu just watched her anxiously, unsure of what to do.

"It's always the same.. I get targeted, I get attacked, oh no Lucy's the victim once again," she said flatly, waving her hand. "Ugh. I am such a loser.. How did I let this happen?" She almost sounded angry now, scolding herself. He couldn't stand to hear her like this.

"Lucy, stop that! You are not at fault, okay? You didn't do a goddamn thing wrong!" he cried, still trying to convince her that she wasn't the one at fault. He knew he was repeating himself, but it was the truth. It wasn't her goddamn fault.. But she still thought it was. No matter what he said, it seemed that the idea was ingrained in her head. It stayed silent for a long time before he spoke.

"Hey...I'm sorry. I'm just really worried about you," he said gently, leaning into her. He nuzzled her hair and just sat there, waiting for her to respond. She leaned back into him and reached to touch his cheek, then looking at him.

"It's okay… I know you just want to help. I don't mean to be such a mess… it's just… it really hurts. I feel so violated, like I've been stripped of my dignity. It's like.. Do I advertise 'take advantage of me' or what?'... I don't understand," she finally said, still frowning.

"You don't do anything like that Luce. And it's okay to be a mess, okay? You've been through alot," Natsu said reassuringly, his arm lightly resting around her shoulders.

"I hate this… that I'm so affected. I mean.. People have been through worse, you know? I'm just complaining..I did this to myself," she said, looking down at the floor. He wrapped her up in a hug and pulled her into his lap. Pressing their foreheads together he looked into her eyes.

"You just had something horrible happen to you, and no matter how many times I have repeat myself, I'm going to say it until you believe it- you did nothing wrong," he said softly, "I love you, Lucy. You are so amazing, and perfect and special. The fact that anyone made you feel anything otherwise is wrong."

She looked back at him, a small smile coming to her lips. "I love you too, Natsu. Thank you," she whispered, then leaning in softly brush her lips against his. He leaned in closer to her, tenderly returning her affection with the gentlest of kisses. She pulled away from him a little and sighed, looking around the room. She looked frustrated, annoyed. He looked around the room, too, confused.

"What is it Luce?" he asked, sincerely dumbfounded.

"This place is a mess. Look at it! I haven't done anything for days!" she exclaimed, getting up from the bed and started to pick up clothes off the floor. He watched her, unsure as to why she was worried about a few pieces of stray clothing. It was way cleaner than his place, that was for sure. But then again, Lucy usually kept things pretty neat, so he could understand why she wanted to pick up a little. Maybe it would make her feel better.

And then she stopped, holding a white shirt in her hands, staring at it. She began to shake a little, then dropping the shirt. Lucy stood there, not moving, but her entire body shaking. He stood up quickly, going to her side, his hand on her back. He looked down and then picked up the shirt. It was stained and torn… it must have been the shirt she was wearing when it happened. Seeing it angered him all over again. That bastard! He literally tried to rip her clothes off of her!

"Luce, let me get it, okay?" he said hurriedly, picking up the rest of the clothes that laid at her feet. There was her blue skirt and it had a large tear in it. He gripped the material in his fingers, the anger swelling up in his gut. "Maybe we should just get rid of these, huh?"

Lucy nodded, shaking on the spot but not crying. Natsu took the two articles of clothing and went toward the kitchen to the trash can. He was about to throw them in when something struck him. The scent on her clothes...He would be able to smell the scent of her attacker. If he knew what the motherfucker smelled like, he would have an easier time tracking him down. Before throwing the destroyed garments into the trash, he took a strong sniff of them. He recognized Lucy's scent, but then there was another scent...a man's scent. That must be it… Now he had him. He was going to find that monster and make him pay for his crimes.

"Natsu? What are you doing?" she asked shakily, still standing there. He looked back over his shoulder and saw her watching him. He opened the trash lid and tossed the clothing inside, then turned back around to face her.

"I...I could smell his scent," he admitted sheepishly. "I thought if I knew how he smelled, it would be easier to track him down." She just looked at him for a long time and didn't say anything. He wasn't sure how she was going react, but he hoped he hadn't just upset her further.

However, she started nodding quietly, still staring at him. "Yeah...you totally could, couldn't you? I didn't think about that…" Her voice dropped off and she went to sit on the edge of the bed. Perched there, she looked contemplative, as if pondering something. He could only guess what was going through her mind. Several moments passed as she sat there, seemingly lost in thought. The extended silence was making him nervous. He shifted uncomfortably on the spot, not sure of what he should do at the moment.

"Um...Luce? Are you okay?" he asked cautiously, studying her while she sat there quietly. She looked up at him with this lost, glass eyed gaze. He had never really seen her look that way before and it had him worried. Then she seemed to rouse herself from it, shaking her head and pushing her hair out of her face.

"Oh..yeah. Yeah, I'm fine Natsu. Just thinking…" she finally responded, looking a little flustered. Was she mad? Did he do something wrong? He was so worried about saying or doing the wrong thing. He just wanted to help. As if reading his mind, she got up from her spot on the bed and went to him, wrapping her arms around his middle and resting her head on his chest, closing her eyes. "Sorry, I just couldn't help but think how badly you could hurt him… I know that's probably messed up to say… But I keep seeing him, burnt to a crisp, writhing in agony… Oh god..what's wrong with me?!"

Natsu stood there and held her tight to him, kissing the top of her head and then affectionately nuzzling her hair with his cheek. To be perfectly honest, he had thought about that, too. It had fixed in his mind as he watched her sleep, tossing and turning with horrible nightmares disturbing her slumber. He wanted nothing more than to make things right… to avenge her. He wanted to fry that bastard until he was nothing more than a pile of cinders and ash.

"It's okay, Lucy. You have every right to feel that way," he murmured, stroking her back lightly. She rested against him, sighing as she leaned close. "It's hard to not want some kind of revenge when someone hurts you like that."

"Even if when the punishment outweighs the crime? I mean, I imagined him screaming and suffering, Natsu. That is seriously dark and twisted, you know? Why would I ever think about something like that?" she cried, sounding horrified.

"Luce, don't be so hard on yourself. You've been through alot," he said soothingly. He gave her a loving squeeze and nuzzled the top of her head. He was worried about her. She had been holed up in the apartment for days. It was a given that people in the guild would be wondering and concerned for her well-being. Not to mention that she hadn't received any medical attention. And then he thought about her fresh wounds from that morning. Afraid to say anything, he stayed quiet for awhile as he held her. But he knew that it had to be brought up some time.

"Hey Luce… do you think maybe you should get checked out? I mean, that guy bruised you up pretty bad.." he asked slowly.

She stiffened and then looked up at him, her eyes wide and full of trepidation and worry. He knew this was coming. He feared that she would be reluctant or even outright refuse to see anyone. But he couldn't just let her stay there, hiding in her apartment and not getting any help. At the same time, he was doing his best not to pressure her.

"I don't know Natsu…I..I don't really want to see anyone…Not yet..." she said quietly, looking down at the floor. She fiddled with the hem of his vest, playing with a loose strand. "I should fix this…"

Clearly she didn't want to continue discuss the matter any further. So for now, he would just stay with her and do whatever she needed him to do. They spent a quiet day indoors, talking and playing games together. Every moment was filled with some kind of activity to act as a distraction for Lucy. For awhile her mind was kept off the horrible events of that night, but he could see the thought cross her mind now and then. So he just kept her busy, doing everything he could to make her smile. It wasn't going to solve her problem or make it go away, but maybe he could at least give her a few moments of peace.

He hoped the next day would bring new promise and she would agree to at least see Wendy about her injuries. He figured it might be good if he could convince her to let Levy come, too. She needed the support of her female friends now… He knew that they could be there for her in a way he couldn't be. But that would wait until tomorrow. For the time being he would do everything he could to keep that beautiful smile on her face.

.xxx.

Eventually she fell asleep and he laid with her, watching her closely. He expected that the nightmares would come again, and he would be there to comfort her. Glancing at the clock he began to wonder where Happy was. It was already 11 p.m. He expected that the Exceed hadn't shown up because he assumed that they wanted time alone together. But now the dragonslayer was getting a little concerned. And then, as if on cue, there was a light tapping at the window near Lucy's bed. He shifted and sat up, careful not to wake her, and looked out. Floating level with the window, wings spread wide, was Happy. Natsu smiled and moved to open the window as quietly as he could. He made a shushing motion, fingers to his lips, and nodded toward the sleeping celestial mage. Happy just nodded and silently glided inside. He then slowly moved to get out of the bed, gently easing Lucy off of him. He had to get up and give Happy some kind of explanation.

Motioning for him to follow, Natsu exited Lucy's bedroom and slipped into the kitchen. The blue cat accompanied him, looking both confused and worried. Once they were in the kitchen, the dragonslayer finally spoke.

"Hey buddy. Sorry about that. I just don't want to wake Lucy," he said, glancing out of the kitchen and then back to Happy. "She hasn't been sleeping too well."

"Natsu...what's wrong with Lucy? Mira and Levy told me to not bother you guys for awhile, and I figured it was cuz you wanted to be left alone with Lucy. But then you didn't come in today to take another job, and I thought that was pretty weird. But then Wendy said that Lucy had been sick or something and she wouldn't let anyone in to see her. Then Mira told me she hadn't been to the guildhall since her last solo job, and that was days ago!" The little blue feline looked especially concerned about his beloved blonde friend. He looked to Natsu for answers and was met with a grave scowl.

"Nah, she's not sick buddy, but she's hurt. Someone attacked her," he said, noting the look of shock on Happy's face. The exceed frowned and tears brimmed his eyes.

"Attacked her?! Was it on her job?" Happy squeaked out, tears threatening to fall. After everything he had been told, it was clear that the cat had feared the worst, and now those fears were being confirmed.

Natsu shook his head, frowning deeply. "No, it was after. Some guy cornered her in an alley and roughed her up pretty bad. She's really shaken up and hasn't been ready to see anyone."

"But Natsu, shouldn't she see Wendy? If she's hurt and needs help…" Happy exclaimed, the tears now spilling over as he cried. The poor feline was so worried. Natsu frowned again.

"Don't worry buddy, we'll get her some help tomorrow. For now Luce just needs us to stay with her and make sure she's safe. So it's our job to take care of her, okay?" Natsu said gently, reaching out to pull the Exceed to him, giving him a tight hug. The cat hugged him back, still crying a little.

"Okay… I just hope she'll be okay," he said with a hint of doubt in his voice. It broke Natsu's heart to see him so upset, but honestly, the dragonslayer was equally worried about the celestial mage. Determined to make him feel better, Natsu pasted on one of his signature brilliant grins.

"Hey, c'mon bud! She'll be okay. It's Lucy- she's tough! And we'll take good care of her," he said, trying to reassure his friend. "You with me on this pal?"

Happy smiled and nodded, then looked especially determined, clenching his little paw for emphasis. "Aye sir! We'll do it for Lucy!" he exclaimed. Natsu smiled and nodded in agreement, scratching his dear friend behind the ears.

At this point, he could only hope that he was right about Lucy. He wanted her to be okay.. But he knew it would take time. The most important thing right now was taking care of her, and he would do everything in his power to protect her. Now the S-Class trials were a distant thought in his mind, clouded over by what had happened to Lucy. It was moments like these that Natsu realized how much he cared about her. He might be pretty dense most of the time, but since meeting Lucy, he had grown by leaps and bounds. Sure he wasn't the picture of maturity or anything, but he knew what was important.

They quietly went back into the bedroom, both slipping into the bed and settling in comfortably. She stirred a little when he pulled her to him, mumbling his name in her sleep. Happy curled up just above their heads on the pillow. He placed feather light kisses on her forehead, not wanting to disturb her, but letting her know he was there. Every time he looked at her, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. How could someone ever hurt her like that? What kind of monster would do something so horrible? He may not know yet, but he would find out. Her assailant could count on one thing- his days were numbered.

 _ **Thus concludes Part 2 of Threads (A Five Part Series). Lucy is struggling with the multitude of things she's feeling, and questions herself over and again. Natsu wrestles with feeling helpless and wanting to seek revenge. Will they work this out together? Will Natsu go after her attacker? Reviews and comments are welcomed. Thank you for reading.**_


	3. Part Three: Opening Up

_**A/N: The following contains content dealing with sexual assault, self harm, self loathing, and the effects of PTSD episodes. If you are sensitive to any of this type of content, please proceed with caution. Read with care.**_

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

 **Part Three: Opening Up**

 _Dear Mom,_

 _It's been a little while since I last wrote. A month, I think. Things have been kind of ...difficult, to say the least. I… I don't really know where to begin. I feel like I need to get this out and tell someone, but I don't know how to tell anyone here. I want to talk to Natsu about it, but it's so hard. I feel so ashamed and I hate myself so much for what happened. I can't help but feel like I did something to invite it, like I "asked for it" just like that man said I did._

 _I mean, in reality, I know that I didn't really "ask for it". Who would ask for something so terrible to happen to them? And at the time time, when I say that, even now, I feel terribly guilty. I keep telling myself that it wasn't that bad, that I'm being overdramatic. Things could have been so much worse… he could have raped me, but he didn't quite get that far. It's like I need to just shut up about it...That I just need to get over it… because I do, right? I need to move on eventually. I can't stay in this perpetual state of fear and depression. Yet, I can't seem to drag myself out it. Every day when I look in the mirror all I see is what that man said I was- a dirty, slutty whore. I mean, I dress in revealing clothes, right? I wear short skirts and tight tops, so that attracts a lot of attention right? Maybe I am exactly what he said I was… Oh Mom… I wish you were here. I need you so much right now… I always need you, but right now especially. I wish I could feel the comfort of your embrace while the tears flow. I feel so empty and alone, even though I'm surrounded by people who love me..Especially Natsu. And my family in the guild._

 _He tries so hard to understand and accommodating. He deals with me kicking and screaming in my sleep, bashing the hell out of him in the process. No matter what happens, he's always there for me. If I start crying for no reason, he holds me until I run out of tears. If I start to shake with fear, he holds me up and lets me know that he's there to protect me. Whenever I feel scared or vulnerable, he's right by my side to quell any bad feelings that he can. He does so much for me, yet I'm still a complete and utter mess. Some days are better than others, but I still have plenty of bad ones. I've taken to hurting myself at points just so I could feel something other than what THIS makes me feel. Those have been some of my darkest days...Yet, even on the bad days, he's able to pick me up and show me the light of day again. Mom… he's so amazing, and I love him so much. But I can tell this is taking a toll on him. I just hope he doesn't get tired of me and dump me. Not that I think he would just bail on me like that.. But could I really blame him? I'm not myself anymore… and that was the person he fell in love with. Not this pathetic lump of tears and anguish that I've turned into…_

 _Mom… why did this happen to me? I know you can't really answer that, but I just don't understand at all. If I didn't deserve it and it wasn't supposed to happen… why did it happen? If I didn't "ask for it" or do something to invite it, why did he choose me? I was just trying to enjoy my dinner after a long day of work. I just wanted them to leave me alone. But that man… he decided that he had a right to my body and he took so much from me. It wasn't just the way he physically violated me grabbing my breasts or shoving his hand up my skirt or how he tried to rip off my clothes, or even the names he called me. He took away my sense of self… I don't feel like me anymore. I can't look at myself and see the same person. I just want to me be again! I don't want to feel scared and nervous all the time. I don't want to be constantly looking over my shoulder or triggered into a crying jag because something I see or smell or taste reminds me of him. It's not fair! Goddammit, it's not fair… And as much as I know he was the one that did wrong, I feel like I'm the one at fault. Like if this wasn't supposed to happen, but it did anyway, maybe I really did deserve it. I'm sorry for swearing, Mom. I'm just so angry….and sad._

 _I try so hard to see the best in people, and I want to help everyone that I can. But after something like this, it makes me look at the world in a different way. The fact that there are such selfish, cruel, horrible people in the world makes me want to hide away from it forever. Now I can understand why Porlyusica hates people so much. Sometimes they're just plain evil… This has filled me with so much anger and hate that I don't know what to do with it. I told Natsu how I've envisioned him getting a hold of the bastard… of the way he could hurt him for hurting me… How I could hurt him for hurting me. That if Natsu just held him still for me long enough, I could make HIM have nightmares that haunted him for weeks with no relief! And then I feel disgusted with myself for even thinking such a thing. How does that make me any better? I'm just being a cruel, vile person by thinking that way. Ugh… I hate what I've become._

 _I'm sorry this letter is such a downer, Mom. I know you can't actually read these letters, but I keep believing that somehow, someway, you can. And I hate knowing that I might have made you sad if you could. I just didn't know who else to talk to… Natsu has been trying to get me to talk with Levy and some of the girls. Maybe I will… I don't know. All I know is that it hurts, and I'm tired of being scared, but I can't help it. I don't know if anything will ever be the same again._

 _I love you, Mom. Please give my love to Dad._

 _I miss you both so much._

 _Always, your daughter,_

 _Lucy_

Tears stained the page as she finished penning the letter, droplets dampening the freshly inked paper. Ink mixed with her tears, pooling them together on the letter's surface, running the words together as the tears flowed steadily now. She had already dropped the quill on the desk and brought her hands to her face in an attempt to shield the tears, as if she could stop them from falling. She cried so much these days. Sure, she had always been the emotional sort, bursting into tears on the middle of the battlefield. But those were different tears. Those were tears that stemmed from an undying passion and a deep-seated sense of devotion to her friends and family. Those were tears that began with fear, but bred bravery and determination. She would welcome those tears any day if it meant she was fighting for what she believed in, fighting to protect those she loved. Yes, those were tears that she would never be ashamed to shed. But these… these certainly were not those tears.

These were tears that rose up from a creeping, stalking fear that waited to consume her at every turn. No matter what she did, no matter where she was, something always reminded her. There was always someone or something or some place. It could be a smell, a sound, a color- there were so many things that could make those horrible memories come rushing back. And in those moments, she was frozen, petrified by fear. That fear grew from a small knot in the pit of her belly to a dark, looming fog that engulfed her whole, drowning out any source of light. All feelings of love, joy, happiness, all things good- they were gone, and she was left with a hollow shell that shook like a leaf at the slightest sound. And in those moments all she could do was curl up into a little ball and cry these tears. These tears were the tears of a wounded soul.

After a little while, her tears subsided and she finished tending to her letter. Reaching for a tissue, she wiped her eyes and blew her nose, sniffling as she sighed. She had these little outbursts all the time. Random crying jags that might last anywhere from two minutes to two hours. Most of the time Natsu was with her when it happened and he would do everything he could to make her feel better or just let her cry if she needed to. She really did appreciate him. But even still, there were moments when she wanted...no… needed, to be alone for awhile. Moments like this when she was writing to her mother about everything had recently transpired. She had just sent him on a short errand to the market to pick up a few things that they needed.

He had barely left her side in days. She felt horribly guilty about him relinquishing his spot in the S-Class Trials, but after Master found out what happened, he somehow found a way to push them back a couple of months. There were some questions about the reasons behind the delay, but Master had said that it was remain undisclosed due to the safety and privacy of a guild member. It was then that everyone left it alone. Lucy knew it would all come out eventually, that people would find out what happened. It was only a matter of time in that place. This was mainly due to the fact that most everyone in the guild was incredibly nosy. Well… certain people were anyway. But it was only because they cared. Maybe it was time she did talk to someone...Levy, at least. Maybe Mirajane. She was afraid to talk to Erza because she was pretty sure Erza would just head to Hargeon and start murdering anyone that fit his description. And really, if anyone was going to get a go at that guy, Natsu had claimed first dibs. She was pretty sure Gray would be right behind Natsu to join in on the stomping. Hell, she even imagined Juvia would be pretty damn pissed off. Not that she wanted them to go around beating random people senseless… though they would in a heartbeat. That had to make her laugh a little, a bit of a smile coming to her face. Her nakama sure were a crazy, mixed up bunch, but they loved her, and she loved them.

"Heyyy...there's my Luce!" a voice suddenly rang out. "Been awhile since I've seen you."Her head jerked upward and she saw him standing there, smiling gently at her. She bit her lip a little and smiled softly again. He had that effect on her. She could be having the darkest of days and he was always able to shed a little light on things. It had been awhile since she had smiled on her own. Admittedly, she had missed her old self, and she imagined Natsu did, too. Not because he resented her sadness or pain- she honestly believed he didn't, even if there were those moments of self doubt. But she knew that he just wanted to see her happy and she always wanted the same for him. That was something that she understood, even if so many other things in the world didn't make sense. She and Natsu- what they had together, that made sense.

He moved to her side, crouching down in front of where she sat in her desk chair. Moving so slowly and carefully, he raised his hand and ever so gently stroked her cheek. She brought her hand to his, lightly wrapping her slender fingers around his warm, calloused hand as he caressed her. His touch brought her comfort like nothing else. Even in those moments where being touched terrified her, he was so patient, caring, tender. She trusted him with her life, with every aspect of her being. It was because of this love and care that he radiated that she felt so comforted,so loved, so safe. Safe… he always made her feel safe. That was something he managed to do from the moment they met. It was a feeling she had almost come to take for granted. But not now, not after what had happened.

Natsu gazed at her, showing off that signature Salamander grin, his comforting heat washing over her like the glow from a crackling fire, warming her to her very core. She looked back at him, trying to convey all of the love and gratitude she felt toward him. Lucy turned her head slightly and kissed his thumb, still holding on to his hand. He leaned in closer and place a soft, tender kiss on her lips.

"How're ya doin', Luce?" he asked sincerely, his eyes searching hers. He always wanted to make sure she was okay. He worried so much that it worried her that he worried TOO much. She hated to see him always stepping on eggshells and tip toeing about just to make her feel better. But she knew it came from a place of love. It seemed like he thought she was so fragile that she might break at the slightest jostle, but to be fair, she hadn't done much to impress otherwise. She smiled again, cupping his cheek, tilting her head a little.

"I'm okay, really. I was just writing to my mom and it got a little emotional. I was telling her about everything that's happened and honestly, it was kind of cathartic," she said as she stroked his cheek, trying to reassure him. "I cried for a little while, but I'm better now. Promise." She pressed her forehead to his, kissing the tip of his nose and giggling a little. He seemed to relax a bit then, smiling back at her.

"Okay Luce. But you know, it's okay to not be okay. I don't want you to force yourself to be "better" just for my or anyone else's sake, okay?" he said sincerely, holding her gaze. She stared back him for a moment. Everything he said to her was so genuine and heartfelt. In that moment she felt so blessed to have someone that loved her the way that Natsu did. She smiled again.

"I know, Natsu. Thank you. But I really am okay," she reassured him an additional time, then leaning in and kissing him quickly, grinning at him. And for now, she really was okay, and she was savoring this moment, for they had been so few and far between as of late. "So, did you get everything on the list?"

He grinned back at her, and nodded promptly. "Yup, sure did! And I even got you a little surprise! Wait here!" He held up a finger to denote "one sec" and got up to rush to the kitchen where had dumped off the bags. She laughed and shook her head, fully expecting that it was going to be some kind of food that he felt was a MUST HAVE.

Natsu emerged from the kitchen with a bouquet of pale pink and bright fuchsia carnations. He held them out to her proudly, grinning from ear to ear. "Here ya go, Luce! They smelled nice, and that made me think of you. But honestly you smell way nicer, and-" he rambled, but was quickly cut off by her lunging hug that toppled them both backward and landed them in a heap on the bed.

She embraced him fully as she kissed his face over and again, utter sweet nothings between each kiss. "You are the sweetest", she planted a kiss on his right cheek "most considerate", and then another on his left, "most awesome boyfriend EVER!" And then she kissed him thrice more, the last landing on his lips. He laughed and returned the last kiss, pulling her closer to enjoy it for a moment longer. They rolled playfully together on the bed, and after a few moments pulled apart. She smiled at him appreciatively. It was as though he knew exactly what she could handle at a given moment.

Lucy sat up and leaned back on one hand, peering down at Natsu, who was still sprawled out, laying across the bed. She smiled down at him, reaching with her free hand to move a stray hair from his forehead.

"Hey Natsu," she said thoughtfully, looking at him. He looked back her curiously, head tilted.

"Yeah Luce?"

"I've been thinking… maybe you're right. Maybe it's time I talked to someone."

.xxx.

Lucy had to admit that she was nervous… Possibly more nervous than she had ever been in her life. But this was something that she needed to do, and she needed to do it before she chickened out. She was sitting in Levy McGarden's room at Fairy Hills where they had settled down to have some tea and to talk. Lucy had told her that she needed to talk about something really important, and that it had to do with why she had been so "sick" lately. She knew that Levy had been fiercely worried about her, but had been kind enough to not press or pry. The blue haired mage had no idea what was going on with her friend, but she was patient and let Lucy come to her. It wasn't that she didn't trust her, far from it. Levy was one of her very closest and best friends. It was just that talking about it made it all the more real. Though it was already real enough to Lucy, there was something different about talking about it with someone outside the safety of her own walls. Lucy took a deep breath.

"Okay...so… I want to kind of clue you in on what's been going on with me lately," she began slowly, looking anxiously at her friend. As if on instinct, Levy reached over and placed her hand over Lucy's and smiled gently.

"It's okay if you're not ready, Lu. I understand, really," Levy said soothingly, trying to reassure her friend, but Lucy shook her head.

"No.. no I want to tell you. It's just hard, you know?" she said with a sigh. She took another deep breath, closing her eyes this time, trying to focus. After a quiet moment, she opened them again and began.

"Last month, while I was away on a solo job, I was attacked on my way to the train station," she started, her voice shaking a little. "But.. it wasn't the typical sort of attack that I've faced. I...I...was...sexually assaulted…" She finished in a stammer, her hands shaking as she pushed the words out. Levy gasped, her hands going to her mouth as she gaped at her friend in shock.

"Oh my god...Lucy…" she whispered, her eyes already brimming with tears. "I can't believe… oh my god… no wonder… I'm so sorry! That's so horrible… please, I'm sorry, go on. I didn't mean to interrupt."

The solid script mage stammered through her words, trying to find the right thing to say to her friend. Lucy just nodded and continued on, recounting the incident as it happened that night. She told her about the events leading up to the horrible occurence in the dark alleyways, and how Loki helped to save her from an even worse fate. Lucy told her about his hands being everywhere and what he said to her, accused her of even. As she spoke, the tears began to flow anew, but she did not cry alone. Her friend cried these pained tears with her, clasping her hands, hiccuping and shuddering from the hard sobs between them. Levy held her and they shared the sorrow between them. Natsu had been right… she had needed this. While his support and comfort had made a world of difference, there was something uniquely comforting about confiding in her closest female friend.

After the tears subsided and quieted, they talked together for a long while. Lucy told her about her feelings of self loathing, the self harm, the constant fear. She was able to describe how used and dirty she felt, no matter how many times she showered. And how now, she was afraid to dress like she used to, and had purposely taken to wearing baggier, less revealing clothing. It was then that Levy looked angry, alarming Lucy a little.

"That's such bullshit!" she exclaimed, leaving the blonde wide eyed and taken aback. She rushed to clasp her friend's hands, realizing she had just yelled. "Oh Lu, I'm so sorry. I just mean that it's bullshit that someone has made you feel that way! Society set these impossible beauty standards for women, promoting us to dress a certain way, act a certain way. Be free, be confident, be sexy, they say. And then some asshole pervert takes that as an invitation to put his hands all over you like you're some kind of cheap plaything! It's revolting!"

Lucy smiled a little, admiring her passion and conviction. For what she lacked in stature, Levy surely made up for in spunk and tenacity! And Lucy agreed wholeheartedly. Though she still harbored feelings of self doubt and blame, deep down she knew what had happened to her was an injustice. It was wrong. More than wrong. It was a downright atrocity.

"You're right, Levy, it is bullshit. I rationally know that, but it's hard to move past this idea in my head that if I go back to the way things were, that it might just happen again," Lucy said sadly, frowning a little.

"You know Lu, I'm sure it was pretty hard for you to talk to me, and I'm SO proud of you for that, and I'm sooo happy that you trust me enough to talk to me," Levy began, her tone cautious. Lucy looked at her curiously. "I just want to put it out there that maybe… you might to talk to someone more experienced, to help you deal with some of the things you're feeling and struggling with."

Lucy stared at her for a moment, blinking several times over. She knew this would come up eventually, that she get some kind of professional help. Honestly, the prospect of it scared the crap out of her, and she wasn't all too sure about pouring her heart out to a complete stranger. While counseling might be hugely beneficial, she was scared to open up that much. She smiled a little and nodded, considering her friend's words, but she couldn't help but feel some doubt.

"I realize that it might be a good idea to get some kind of counseling, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that, Levy," Lucy admitted, sighing a little. Of course she didn't WANT to feel this way, and obviously she wanted to get over the whole ordeal. However, she was still very afraid of letting anyone but a select few get too close. She still felt embarrassed and ashamed of what had happened. It was hard to tell those she was closest to, let alone someone she had never met.

Levy's expression softened and she smiled a little, nodding, "Of course Lu, I'm not going to pressure you. But honestly, I didn't mean a counselor just yet. While I do think it's a really good idea for you to talk to one eventually, I thought maybe you could start a little closer to home."

Lucy looked at her questioningly, uncertain as to what she was getting at. A little closer to home? Did she mean...someone at the guild? And what did she mean...experienced?

"Levy…? I'm not sure what you mean…Someone experienced?" she said, her eyes fixed on her friend. Levy grimaced a little, her expression growing more serious as she nodded.

"Yes, as in, someone who's been through it before," Levy answered as Lucy looked at her questioningly. "Mirajane."

Lucy gasped, shaking her head as tears pricked at her eyes again. "Oh no! Poor Mira…"

Levy nodded. "It was several years ago, on one of her first modeling jobs back in the day. Some pervert photographer that was a total cretin. He disabled her with magic nullification cuffs and… well he...forced himself… on her. This was right after she had lost most of her power. She had started taking modeling jobs to make ends meet. And this guy... she... she wasn't able to stop him, and there was no one else around…" Levy stopped for a moment, tears rolling down her cheeks. Lucy was crying again, but this time for her dear friend. Her incurably cheerful, outgoing, amazingly beautiful friend Mirajane Strauss. Mira was the salt of the earth, and no one would ever argue that point. Everyone loved her, including Lucy. Hell, she had admired her long before she even entered Fairy Tail! Mira had been her idol. And she had been through that horrific experience! It just wasn't fair… Why did such a good, kind hearted person have be hurt in such a horrible way?

Levy took a deep breath, and continued on. "Anyway, it might seem kind of weird, me telling you Mira's personal story like this, but she's pretty open about it. She's spoken publicly about it in the past and been a listening ear for other young girls and women that have gone through similar. And that's why I suggested you go talk to her. She would understand, and she can help you through this in a way a lot of people can't. Plus, she's your friend, your nakama. She loves you. I'm sure she'll be totally discreet, too."

Lucy listened to her friend, nodding as she spoke. Yes… Mirajane was her friend, her family. She knew that she could trust the fair haired beauty with her life, and most definitely with the dreadful details of her nightmare encounter. The celestial mage smiled softly.

"Yeah, I think I can handle talking to Mira," she agreed. Levy beamed clasping her friend's hands in her own, squeezing them affectionately.

"I promise Lu, you'll feel better doing it. Mira has helped so many young women," Levy gushed, quite obviously very relieved that her suggestions were well received.

They continued their talk for awhile more, shifting to more casual, lighthearted subjects. It had been awhile since they had hung out, and Levy had acquired several new books since then. The petite bluenette spend a good deal of her "extra cash" on more books for her collection. How she could fit even a single book more into this already packed library of a room was beyond Lucy. But she couldn't help but smile at the fact that her brainiac, fellow bookloving friend would sure as hell try!

Eventually Laki came to Levy's door and said that both Gajeel and Natsu were outside looking for their respective girlfriends. They didn't dare set foot in Fairy Hills, and especially on a Sunday. Sunday was Erza's "quiet day" when she wasn't off on a job. She spent time listening to classical music and alternately having tea and cake and polishing her weapons. _Definitely_ not a good day to cause a ruckus. That woman really needed her Zen time. When the two surfaced, they found their stubborn dragonslayers arguing profusely. This was not out of the ordinary.

The two couples parted ways at the road's fork, Levy and Gajeel heading off to go on their date, and Lucy and Natsu headed back to Lucy's apartment for lunch. The girls smiled and waved to each other, reminding of their plans to get together the next day to meet with Mirajane. Lucy left Fairy Hills feeling a bit lighter that day. For now, she felt a sense of calm. Looming in the shadows would be other dark moments. She knew she had a long road ahead of her, but she was making a small step in the right direction.

 _ **Thus concludes the third installment of Threads. As we see, Lucy is slowly opening up a little about her experience to her loved ones. I have to note that for some people it takes months, even years before they talk to others about their story, if ever. But Lucy is surrounded by love and encouragement, and inclined to be open to their help. If you have any commentary, or simply just want to vent/talk/share, please leave a review or even drop me a message. I will now take time to respond to the few reviews I've gotten.**_

 _ **Sverhei- I do realize that something like this is probably hard for some people to read, but I appreciate you taking the time to read it. And I'm sincerely glad you enjoyed it.**_

 _ **Dark Shining Light- It's a message I felt needed to be out there, especially after some commentary I read online. I'm glad you like it. :) I hope you enjoy the rest of it.**_

 _ **sofiesticated- I'm sorry that you ever had to go through that. I am a fellow survivor as well. I'm glad that you feel I've conveyed these feelings well. It's important to me that it comes off as authentic as possible.**_


	4. Part Four: Discovery

_A/N: So, its been quite awhile since I last updated. I hit a major stint of writer's block, and have only recently started to write again. I can promise that it won't be so long until I update again! To anyone that comes back to read this after so long, thank you for your patience! Now on to the story._

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

Another couple of weeks passed and things seemed to be steadily improving. Natsu had noticed that Lucy was becoming more and more like her old self as time went on. He still caught those moments when she winced or gasped with a start, moments when something caught her off guard. And there were still those lonely moments in the middle of the night when he'd see her staring out the window up at the moon, with tears in her eyes. Those were moments when he just hugged her, kissed her cheek, told her he loved her, and then left her be for awhile. Sometimes she needed those moments to herself. He knew that she would be in a grieving process for a long time, and that the trauma was still affecting her. He didn't expect her to just "get better". It didn't work that way. And he had no problem with giving Lucy all the time she needed to heal.

At times it all confused him. He knew Lucy was hurting, and he wanted to fix it. But the fact of the matter was, it wasn't the kind of thing he could just up and fix. It wasn't so simple as that. He hated overly complicated things...especially when it applied to helping his loved ones through a tough time. He loved her so much. He loved her with such a great vehemence that it touched every fiber of his being, leaving him completely raw. These days, he was often left feeling helpless and overwhelmed. Natsu wondered if this was the way Lucy felt sometimes. He couldn't imagine being in a position where everything you know is questioned and challenged. Being so helpless and desperate for the agony to end that you wish yourself dead… He worried about her constantly and longed to take away all of the fear and anxiety she felt. While he couldn't immediately solve her problems, what he could do was be there for her, and he would do his damnedest to continue to do so.

"Hey Natsu, did you see where I put my other notebook? I had it in my hand earlier, but then went to do something else…" Lucy asked, checking through her small suitcase for a third time. Natsu sat on the couch in a slight daze, his thoughts elsewhere. "Hello? Natsu? Are you even listening to me?" Her tone had grown exasperated.

"Huh?" he asked, shaking his head to snap out of it. He stared blankly at Lucy, who was looking straight at him with her hands on her his, her face screwed up with a slight scowl.

"My notebook. Did you happen to notice where I went with it?" she asked, still looking at him. He blinked a few times and then shrugged a little.

"Umm...the kitchen?" he replied, taking a guess. " You went in there after you said you didn't want to forget your water bottle." Suddenly she perked up and turned to go into the kitchen. A moment later she whooped.

"It was in here on the table. Thanks, Natsu!" she said as she entered the room again, stopping in front of him to kiss his cheek, smiling brightly. He grinned back at her. It always felt good to see her smile, even if it were for the smallest of reasons. She went about her packing and going over her checklist.

They were only going to Hargeon, which was only about an hour away by train. But the job they had taken was going to be a few days, so they needed to pack some essentials. For Natsu, his packing list was always simple- a change of clothes and some snacks in his pack with his sleeping roll bound up and tucked atop it. However, it was always a far more complicated process for Lucy. In the past he would get especially irritated at how long it took her to pack, but this was one of the first overnight job they were taking since Lucy's attack. He didn't want to do anything discourage her, so he waited patiently (though a few sighs and grumbles had escaped him here and there). It had crossed his mind more than once that it would be Lucy's first trip to Hargeon since that horrible night. He couldn't help but wonder if that was on her mind now. He watched her as she moved about the apartment, silently studying and surveying her mood. She seemed okay, maybe just a little flustered over the packing.

"Okay, I think I've got everything I need!" she said, finally closing her suitcase, and smiling proudly. "And I got it all to fit in this bag!" She turned to Natsu and showed off her now packed suitcase. He then feigned sleep, letting out a loud snore.

"Oh shut up, Natsu! It didn't take me THAT long," she said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. He peeked one eye open, grinning at her. She laughed in spite of herself and picked up a pillow from the bed and tossed it at him. He caught it as he sat up, laughing.

"That's awesome, Luce. So you ready to go then?" he asked, getting up and walking toward her, returning the pillow to the bed. She thought for a moment and then nodded firmly, smiling.

"Yup, all ready! Is Happy meeting us at the train station? We need to meet everyone there in a half hour," she said, glancing at the clock and then looking back to Natsu. He nodded in response.

"Yup. He's helping Carla and Wendy bring along some extra stuff. I guess Wendy needs some of it to do the healing part of the job," he said yawning a little and rubbing the back of his head. Lucy simply nodded as she picked up her bag and then grabbing her purse from atop her desk.

"Well, I guess we can head out then. Knowing Erza she'll be there early with her mountain of luggage," Lucy said cheerfully, smiling at Natsu. He just smiled back and nodded his head. They locked up her apartment and made their way to the train station.

The job they were taking involved helping out some locals after there had been mass fires in town, burning up countless homes and businesses. The Mermaid Heel and Lamia Scale guilds had already dispatched to the scene and reached out to Fairy Tail for help, as Magnolia was only a short train ride away. Natsu's team, which was comprised of himself, Lucy, Happy, Erza, Gray, Wendy and Carla, were going to help with the situation in any way they could. It was more a good will mission than anything, and they wouldn't be doing anything too exciting. Natsu knew he wasn't going to be beating anyone up or burning anything down (there had already been enough of that, after all), but he didn't care. Just fact that they were getting out there as a team again, and Lucy would be with them meant the world to him. There had been so many jobs that she opted out of because she didn't feel ready or felt like she wasn't equipped to do her part as a member of the team. They had all tried to explain that they believed in her and they understood what limitations she might have, but she still had recoiled and refused to take part. So most of the time Natsu stayed behind and went on other jobs with her, things in town or just out of town. Nothing that would take more than a full day to complete. But she seemed ready this time, and he was so happy to see it.

.xxx.

The others were standing in the usual waiting area where the express train to Hargeon let people on and off. As Lucy has suspected, Erza was already there waiting, her cart sitting beside her, neatly stacked with her multitude of bags and satchels. The celestial mage always had to smile a bit at her scarlet haired friend's need for an excess of luggage. Erza really came off as the kind of woman that needed very little to survive and did not give in to whims of pleasure and was wholly absent of any sense of vanity. But those who knew her best knew she had a sentimental and girly side, rarely seen by those around her. _Except maybe Jellal…_ Lucy thought to herself with a snicker. The mysterious man with the cobalt hair was the one person that truly knew Erza in every way that she might be known. Lucy was glad that they were together and so happy. Hell, it was amazing that they even got the chance to be together now. Since Jellal had been pardoned of all his crimes by King Toma a few years ago, the young couple was free to have a life together. Lucy wondered when they might get married. Erza would make a beautiful bride.

Standing with Erza was Wendy along with Happy and Carla. They had some extra baggage with them too, but Lucy figured that was probably the medical supplies that Natsu had mentioned. Wendy had become quite the skilled healer, having been taught by Porlyusica. And her abilities for healing magic had strengthened over time, as well. It was likely that she would be working with Sherria from Lamia Scale quite a bit, as they were both healers. Lucy smiled a bit at the prospect. She knew that Sherria was one of Wendy's very best friends and the two had become quite close over time. For a short while while Fairy Tail was disbanded, Wendy had even joined Lamia Scale and was on a team with Sherria. They worked together well, and had even beat one of the Spriggen 12 during the Alvarez War. During that war, Sherria had lost most of her magic, but within a couple years time, she had regained a great deal of her power. They knew a lot of that had to do with Wendy using her restorative magic on her dear friend. And this was another reason why Lamia Scale had asked Fairy Tail to help. Wendy was not only an amazing healer, but such a good person with a pure heart. She would be able to lift the spirits of the wounded and give them hope. She certainly was good at that.

Lucy planned on calling on her spirits to help. She had already spoken to a number of them individually about how they might be able to help during the time of crisis. Some of them were willing to help with the rebuilding process as well. Virgo would dig holes for new foundations and Taurus had said he would help with some of the building demolition. Leo had volunteered to help with some of the construction, as well, and Aries thought she might be able to provide soft, comfortable bedding for those without a place to call home. Gemini was all too eager to help out, as were the others. She felt so grateful to her spirits and loved them all so dearly. A celestial wizard couldn't ask for better friends and confidants. They were all amazing.

"Lucy! Natsu!" Wendy called out as she saw them approach, waving and beaming at them. Her sweet smile was always a warm welcome.

"There you guys are! I was wondering if you forgot," Happy called, flying directly toward them. He dropped his wings as he got to Natsu, landing against him in a soft thud. Natsu laughed and gave the exceed a little squeeze before handing him off to Lucy.

"Hey buddy. Nah, didn't forget," Natsu said cheerfully, lightly placing his hand on Lucy's back. "Just had to wait for Luce to pack." He looked at her and gave her a little wink. She smirked and shook her head.

"Yeah well, you were no help, sitting around, spacing out," she chided back, sticking her tongue out and then giving Happy a hug before setting him down. The dragonslayer laughed at his girlfriend's silly display.

"Maybe if you hadn't taken like 1000 years, I wouldn't have practically passed out, so nyahhh," he said back, sticking his tongue out at her. She simply laughed in return, shoving him playfully.

"Well you are still on time so that's all that matters!" Erza said, giving a decisive nod. She liked it best when things went according to plan and schedules were kept. "I expect you're prepared for the travel, Natsu."

The conversation shifted to Natsu and Wendy's tendency to feel sick while traveling in vehicles of any kind. It was very much a dragonslayer thing. Both of them grimaced at the talk of the train, and soon after they were approached by the final member of their team.

"Yeah, we'll be fine so long as flame brain doesn't spew all over the compartment. At least Wendy can hold her lunch," came the cool voice of their ice mage friend. Gray ambled up beside Natsu with a smirk on his face. "Though we can't expect much from ash for brains, here."

Natsu turned around to fire a retort at him and the two started squabbling, threatening bodily harm upon one another. This was followed by Wendy urging them to stop and Erza raising her voice at them (and only then did they stop posturing). But still they continued to exchange heated words. Lucy found herself a little distracted, glancing down the track for the train. She nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other, fidgeting as she waited, only half listening to argument between her boyfriend and teammate. Wendy seemed to notice the absent-minded look on Lucy's face and approached her, concerned.

"Are you okay, Lucy?" she asked quite innocently, her big doe eyes staring up at Lucy, long lashes fluttering as she blinked at her curiously. Lucy forced a smile. "Yeah I'm fine, Wendy. Promise." The sky dragon slayer nodded gently, smiling and reaching for her friend's hand, giving it a little squeeze.

"Don't worry. I don't think Natsu will throw up all over the place," she said reassuringly, smiling at the blonde. "It's only an hour trip, after all." Lucy chuckled a little and nodded.

"You're totally right. We'll be fine," she said with a smile. Wendy smiled back at her.

What Wendy didn't know was that Lucy wasn't thinking about Natsu's digestive pyrotechnics. In the back of her mind, it had been eating at her ever since they had agreed to take this job. It was going to be the first time she was in Hargeon since the attack. Was she going to be able to handle this? Was there any chance she might run into that low life again? The fact of the matter was that she wasn't alone this time. Natsu would be there and there was no way he would let anyone hurt her again, especially like that. Not to mention her entire team would be around. They wouldn't let anyone hurt her either. But it was still hard to not think about it. What if he just showed up randomly? It could be in a shop or restaurant, it could while walking down the street. There was no telling what could happen.

 _But we'll be working and around A LOT of other people. Not to mention Natsu will be there, and the rest of our team. And our friends from other guilds. There's no way he could get to me… But if that's true, why am I so scared?_ She thought sadly, hating the effect that scumbag was having on her. It frustrated and upset her that it still bothered her so much. As much as she wanted to go on this job, part of her also wanted to turn tail and run… run and hide away from everything. She felt her hands trembling as she exhaled a shaky breath. _What will I do if I see him? Do I run? Do I confront him? I'm not sure… Most of me never wants to see his horrible rotten face again. Those beady eyes and that yellow toothed grin. How he smelled of urine, sweat and alcohol. Ugh! But a small part of me wishes I could beat his face in so he can feel an iota of the pain I've felt! I don't know if I could handle seeing him though… God, I'm so nervous. I don't want the others to know what I'm thinking. I don't want anyone to worry. They already worry enough! I'll do my best to get through this… no matter how hard it is._ She let loose a deep sigh, still trembling. Then suddenly she felt a familiar warmth envelope her, a larger calloused hand closing over hers, lacing their fingers together.

"I'm here, okay?" he whispered, nuzzling her gently. He squeezed her hand and rested against her. She let loose the breath she had been holding onto and then breathed a little easier as her heartbeat responded in kind. He always knew when she needed him most, even if it was just for a little reassurance.

Soon the train came and they all boarded after their load of luggage had been stowed. Once the train got moving, Lucy came to forget her troubles for the time being, as she was distracted by a very ill Natsu. The motion sick dragonslayer whined and complained about the rate his stomach was turning and how dizzy he felt. He leaned against her, his head on her shoulder, and she reached to stroke his hair. There was really no proof that this helped him at all, but it seemed to at least comfort him in some way. And who didn't like to be comforted when they're feeling sick? She smirked a little and shook her head. He was usually the hero, the savior of all. Able to take down any foe with a swipe of his mighty, fiery fist! But when it came to traveling he turned into a big baby and it was Lucy's turn to come to the rescue. _At least this isn't a long trip._ She sighed a little, turning and kissing his forehead gently before lightly resting her head against his.

They arrived in Hargeon after a very long hour, and got themselves off the train. Lucy was already feeling a little worn out from Natsu's theatrics. The group gathered together in the station and promptly caught a carriage to travel to the main site of the destruction. Natsu groaned at this, having just gotten his feet again, only to have to climb into another mode of transportation. Lucy sighed and shook her head. Poor Natsu. She really did feel bad for him in situations like this. She patted his leg as they traveled along, looking out the window at the passing city. As they got closer, the air changed. A thin sheet of smoke still hung in the air, the smell of burnt wood prominent. This seemed to catch Natsu's attention as he sniffed a little, raising his head despite the dizziness.

"Yuck! That's the worst kind of fire," he croaked, making a face. The others looked at him, a little confused. Lucy raised an eyebrow and figured she would be the one to ask.

"What are you talking about Natsu?" she asked, looking at him.

"Chemical fire. Someone used a chem bomb or something to set these places on fire. I can smell them still lingering. When you burn things with chemicals, the trace smells always stay behind," he explained, straightening up a little and looking out the window.

"Huh, that's weird. I don't remember Lyon saying anything about it being a case of arson," Gray said, eyebrows furrowed. "He just said a fire got out of control. Sounds a little suspicious given what flamebrain said." Natsu scowled at Gray, but decided he felt too dizzy to bother with a retort. Lucy looked at Erza, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Should we say something when we get there?" Lucy voiced, asking Erza more than anyone. The often serious and most senior member of their group, Erza usually took the lead in these situations.

"Once we arrive at our destination we shall inform the others of what Natsu has smelled and make sure that they are fully aware of the circumstances," Erza said simply, and then smiled a little. "I'm sure our friends will appreciate the information, should they not already know."

A short while later they arrived at the main site, descending from the carriage. They looked around the area and saw how many buildings were burned. A large market had previously been the star of the main shopping square, but now it was nothing more than tinder and ash. Lucy gasped at the multiple ruins of places that had been here only a few months before. It just took one out of control fire and several minutes before it brought these places crashing to the ground. It was rather disconcerting to see, and she frowned sadly as she thought of all the people who had been affected. They were greeted by Lyon Vastia, one of the senior members of the Lamia Scale guild. He was also an old friend and rival of Gray's.

"Lyon, what the hell happened here?" Gray asked, looking around and letting loose a low whistle. "This place has been burnt to a crisp." Lyon grimaced, looking around a bit and then back to the group.

"Yes, it's quite the catastrophe. Half a dozen people have died and there are dozens more injured," Lyon said gravely, his brow furrowed and mouth set into a deep frown. He looked weathered and worn at this point, clearly exhausted from having worked through the night, likely without sleep or sustenance. Lucy frowned sadly, wondering if this was the state everyone here was in. What a horrible thing to happen!

"Pretty big arson job here, huh? Any idea on who started it?" Gray asked, looking to Lyon again. The other ice mage looked a bit taken aback by Gray's statement. Gray quirked up an eyebrow up and looked at him questioningly.

"Arson? What are you talking about? It started because of chimneys that hadn't been cleaned in more than two years," Lyon said, both shocked and confused.

Natsu stepped up, shaking his head. He had since gained his sense of balance and was far more clear headed now. "No way, man. That's a chemical fire if I've ever smelled one. It smells nasty out here!"

At that moment Wendy piped up, raising a hand over her head. "Um, honestly, I can smell the chemicals now, too."

That was proof enough to anyone standing present. Two dragonslayers with especially strong senses of smell had confirmed that there were chemicals in the fire. Lyon gasped, shaking his head.

"I can't believe we missed this! There's no telling who could have done it," Lyon said, scowling. "But perhaps you could at least locate the source of the fire?" He looked to Natsu and Wendy.

"You got it, man. I'll let my sniffer do the work!" Natsu said confidently, flashing Lyon his signature grin. Natsu's positivity was contagious, and Lyon smiled a little.

"Of course we will!" Wendy exclaimed, clenching her fists and looking determined. "Anything we can do to help!"

Lyon looked at Wendy and smiled, showing his brotherly affections toward the young girl. He reached out and touched her shoulder. "I think we most need your talents in the healing department, Wendy. Perhaps best to leave this one to Natsu," he said calmly. She nodded and smiled.

After they figured out who was needed where, the group split up to attend their specific posts. Wendy and Carla would be going to the temporary hospital they had set up at the town's community hall while Erza and Gray would be joining to search through the wreckage for any other possible victims. Natsu, Lucy, and Happy went with Lyon and Yuka of Lamia Scale to where the fire was believed to have been started. Natsu began sniffing around the area, trying to determine if any chemical bombs had been used in the area. He stopped in front of a building that previously been a pub. The once two story structure looked as though there was a lodging area over the pub.

"Yup, definitely one went off here. This place reeks," Natsu said firmly, scowling a little at the stench. Lucy watched him sniff the air and then bolt his way through the still smoldering, ashy ruins of the building. She cried out for him to be careful, but it wasn't likely that he heard her. Sighing she adjusted her bag and proceeded to follow him. Left to his own devices, there was no telling what trouble he might get himself into. The others quickly followed suit, and Happy flew ahead to catch up with Natsu.

When they did finally catch up with him, they found him at an opening that looked as though it led to the former building's basement. The entryway was dark and it looked as though the stairs had fallen away. It was definitely too dangerous to be climbing down into. Natsu looked at Lyon, his expression especially serious.

"What did this place used to be?" Natsu asked him demandingly. Lyon looked a little caught off guard by Natsu's insistence. "It was a distillery connected to pub. The family that owned it lived over the business in an apartment, but everything got wiped out. Why do you ask?"

Natsu frowned and shook his head, "I don't know what happened here, but I don't like it. I can smell the chemicals from the bomb, but I can smell the alcohol too. You can guess what that means," he said, looking at Lucy and she gasped.

"Oh my god! They KNEW it would cause a bigger explosion because of the distillery!" she exclaimed. "Which means… this was definitely no accident."

Lyon frowned deeply, rubbing his chin with his hand, as though thinking for a moment. He raised his eyes after several moments of contemplation and looked between Natsu and Lucy. "But what would cause someone to do something so horrendous? Surely that had to of known that they might kill anyone inside…"

Happy snorted. "You think they might have known?" The blue exceed frowned again, shaking his head. " Dude, I got news for you- they definitely knew and they were trying to do one thing and one thing alone."

Lucy stepped forward, her brow furrowed. "And that would count as murder, and attempted murder on top of it...not to mention public endangerment, destruction of public and private property. We can't let them get away with this!" She sounded furious now, but bolder and more confident than she had in months. All she could think of now was bringing these criminals to justice.

"I think we should start with talking to the former owner of the property, find out if there's any reason someone would try to do this to him," Lucy continued, looking at Lyon. "Would you take us to where they might be sheltered?"

Lyon nodded sharply. "Of course, Lucy. I would very much like to get to the bottom of this."

With that the group of them headed toward the center of town where the shelter units were being hosted. Lyon led the them all through the masses of people. Lucy couldn't help but feel a little sad seeing all the people that had been injured or displaced, some both. Natsu held onto Lucy's hand tight, glancing back here and there to check on her. She would give him a little smile to reassure him that she was fine. Though being in Hargeon had initially made her a little nervous, she had been completely distracted by the situation with the fires. Lucy could tell that Natsu was on high alert when it came to her. She could feel the protective vibes radiating from him. When he was on edge, he always emitted more heat.

There were whole families there, huddled together, obviously stricken with shock, fear, and uncertainty. Their lives had literally gone up in flames, and now they were left with just each other. Despite that, she was sure that those that survived were glad to still have one another. A little girl caught Lucy's eye, and the celestial mage smiled warmly at her. The child smiled shyly, closely tucked under her mother's protective embrace.

"Here we are," Lyon said finally, after they had walked about halfway through the camp. An older woman, her hair just starting to gray, looked up and saw Lyon, smiling gently. "Hello Mrs. Anders. How is your husband?"

She stepped toward them and placed a hand on Lyon's arm, giving him a weak smile and looking back at the man laying in the bed behind them, her kind face filled with looked back to ice mage.

"Hello Lyon dear. He's doing a bit better, but I'm still quite worried, of course. I supposed that just comes with the territory," she said, doing her best to keep on a brave face. She glanced around at the other mages and her eyes fell on Lucy. The blonde wanted to do her best to provide them some kind of reassurance, and flashed the warmest, most inviting smile she could muster. It was obvious that these people could use a raise in morale.

"I'm glad he's doing a bit better, Mrs. Anders. I really hate to trouble you, but would it be possible for us to have a few words with him? You need my friends here came from the Fairy Tail guild in Magnolia to help us out during this catastrophe, and we have reason to believe there may have been foul play afoot," he explained, motioning to Natsu, Lucy, and Happy. The woman's face contorted in shock at his statement.

"Foul play? Do you mean someone might have done this on purpose?" she said, her eyes filling with fear as her hands raised to her mouth, covering it as she gasped audibly.

"We're not sure at this point. That is why it is imperative that we please speak to your husband," Lyon explained, his voice pleading at this point. Mrs. Anders nodded and turned to her husband, taking a few steps toward the bed.

"George honey, these people want to speak to you about the fire. You remember Mr. Vastia from the Lamia Scale wizards' guild? He helped us when those hoodlums were robbing local businesses," she said gently, reaching the pat the bed ridden man's shoulder. The man looked tired, but coherent, looking up at Lyon and the others. He forced a smile and nodded to them.

"Hello Mr. Anders, it's good to see that you're awake. How are you feeling?" Lyon asked, looking genuinely concerned for the man's well-being.

"Hello there, Lyon, good to see you, son," Mr. Anders said hoarsely. "I'm alright, just had a scare there. Think I inhaled a bit too much smoke. But that young woman from your guild, Sherria, she's a dynamo, that one. Healed up all five of us, right quick too!"

Lyon nodded and smiled a bit, patting the man on the shoulder. Mr. Anders smiled, but then both his expression and his tone grew serious. "Now what's this about foul play? You think this was an arson job?" he asked urgently, looking alarmed.

The ice mage nodded and then motioned toward Natsu and Lucy. "Yes, sir. My friends here just arrived from another guild to help us, and Natsu here could smell chemicals amongst the smoke and rubble." Natsu stepped forward, nodding in greeting toward the man. Lucy gave a small smile and nodded as well. Lyon continued. "You see Mr. Anders, Natsu is a dragonslayer and has especially sensitive olfactory senses."

Mr. Anders' eyes grew wide and his mouth fell agape. "Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail? Why yes, I've heard of you, son. I hear dragonslayers have quite the sniffers!"

Natsu nodded firmly, but did not smile. Instead his mouth was set in a grim line and he cleared his throat before he spoke. "Um, yeah, we do, sir. And I could smell the burning chemicals as soon as we started to pull into town. The whole place reeks of it!" The dragonslayer looked both angry and disgusted at the same time. Judging by the look on the man's face, he was quite taken aback by this news.

"Mr. Anders, we don't want to press you when you're in such a condition, but can you think of anyone at all that might have had a reason to do this to you? To the town?" Lucy asked, feeling bold and stepping forward. They were all dancing around the important questions and she wanted to get to the bottom of this. Whoever did this needed to be brought to justice! Too many innocent lives had been affected, and that wasn't right. She couldn't stand by and let it happen.

Mr. Anders looked up at Lucy, his eyes studying her a moment and then he shook his head. "No my dear, I simply cannot imagine who-" he began, but stopped suddenly, frozen in position. "No… it couldn't be! They wouldn't dare go to such lengths!"

The others looked around at one another, each shrugging, clearly confused by his sudden outburst. Lucy took the initiative. "Who wouldn't do what, Mr. Anders? Please tell us all you can."

The man sighed and shook his head, looking weary. "It all started about six months ago. Fella out of Crocus called Bogsworth started buying up local properties, turning them into chain store locations. His people came in to our place and offered us a sum, but we turned it down flat! Seven generations my family has owned that pub! No way I was just going to sell out like that!" He told his story with great vehemence, shaking his fist angrily in the air and practically growling as he spoke. No one dared interrupt, hanging on his every word.

"They came back three, four times maybe, kept increasing their bid, but I turned 'em down still. Wanted no part of their operation. Heard word around town that they wanted our spot for some bar and grill setup, tourist location. Bah! While new folks are welcome to our place, we stand by serving our townsfolk! Anyway, after a few months these ruffians started showing up in town, bothering local businesses. Not so coincidentally, they were vandalizing and breaking into the places that wouldn't sell their properties. Had them come into our place several times, threatening that we 'should get out if we knew what was good for us', but we held strong! And if it weren't for the Lamia Scale guild, they'd of done us in months ago! Those wizards have been damn fine help. Anyway, word around town was that they were Bogsworth's men. That he sent them to 'clean out' those of us that remained in the neighborhood, but he'd deny that quicker than you can say 'guilty as charged'! Last time they come around was maybe two, three days before the fire, calling out big threats about how if we weren't careful we'd watch it all go up in flames. Now that I think of it, it's darn obvious isn't it? 'Course, didn't think they'd ever go that far..."

Lucy looked at Natsu. He looked both troubled and excited at the same time. She had seen this look on his face before- he had an idea.

"Sir, you said they were giving you warnings. Do you have anything they touched? Like a notice or a letter or something?" Natsu asked, sounding almost anxious. Lucy gasped a little as she realized where he was going with this. Mr. Anders, on the other hand, looked a bit confused, as did Lyon.

"Well yes, I'm sure I do actually. I tucked the last one in my coat pocket. One of the few things not destroyed in the fire," he said, motioning to a small pile of things beyond the bed. Mrs. Anders rushed to grab his coat and then handed it to him. The shopkeeper reached into the pocket of his worn coat and pulled out a leaflet of paper with a blaring WARNING! LAST NOTICE! scrawled over it. He scowled as he handed the notice to Natsu.

"There you are, young man. I hope some good comes from my having kept that wretched thing!"

Natsu smiled a little, nodding to him. "Thanks, Mister. And if my ol' dragonslayer schnoz does its job, I should be able to sniff out whoever handled this note!"

"And if whoever handled that note smells like those chemicals, we have our culprit!" Lucy finished, with a determined smile. Both Lyon and Mr. Anders beamed.

"Well, I knew it was a good idea to have Fairy Tail come to our aid," Lyon said with a chuckle, shaking his head a little. "Well it's up to you now, Natsu."

The salmon haired dragonslayer brought the piece of paper to his nose and took a generous whiff. There were several scents mixed together. He could smell Mr. and Mrs. Anders, and two scents that didn't belong to anyone present, yet one of them was strangely familiar. There was no way that it belong to anyone he knew, but it was definitely something he had smelled before. It was a greasy smell...like sweat and alcohol, that sickening, thick, rotten odor that hung above the city dump in the dead of summer. But that wasn't it. It wasn't just reminiscent of something he had smelled before. His teeth bared as he made the connection, heat rising up in his body as he clutched the letter in his hand. The last time he had caught that scent was on Lucy's clothes, the clothes she had been wearing on the night of her attack.


End file.
